Descending sets can provide both stamina and speed as you build your swimming fitness. This session is great for swimmers and triathletes preparing for longer, open water swims.
Each Saturday I will post a Swim Session, most weeks I will load three options up for you to do. Option A is for swimmers who are after a workout between 1,000 & 2,000 metres. Option B is for swimmers who are after a workout between 2,000 & 3,000m and Option C will be greater than 3,000m.
The inspiration for these sessions came from a former college swimmer and high school assistant coach, Margaret Cyphers. Click here to view the original article.
Option A
- 200m WU;
- 100m Br K;
- 8x 75m Swim/Drill/Swim;
- 3x 100m 20sec RI;
- 100m Easy;
- 3x 100m Pull 20sec RI;
- 2x 25m SPRINT 20sec RI;
- 200m CD (1,950m)
Option B
- 300m WU;
- 100m Br K;
- 8x 75m Swim/Drill/Swim;
- 3x 200m Pull, 30sec RI;
- 3x 100m 20sec RI;
- 100m Easy;
- 3x 100m Pull 20sec RI;
- 2x 25m SPRINT 20sec RI;
- 200m CD (2,650m)
Option C
- 600m WU;
- 100m Br K;
- 12x 75m Swim/Drill/Swim;
- 4x 200m Pull, 30sec RI;
- 4x 100m 20sec RI;
- 100m Easy;
- 4x 100m Pull 20sec RI;
- 4x 25m SPRINT 20sec RI;
- 200m CD (3,700m)
Start the workout with a Warm Up (WU) covering 200m (Option A), 300m (Option B), or 600m (Option C). During the warm-up feel free to stop and stretch as needed. It doesn’t need to be a continuous swim.
Next up is 100m of Breaststroke Kicking. Use a kickboard if you need to.
Follow this set with a 100m Individual Medley (IM), this is made up of 25m of each of the competitive strokes starting with Butterfly, then Backstroke, Breaststroke, and then finishing with Freestyle.
Next up is a set of either eight (Option A and B) or twelve reps of 75m. The first and last 25m is normal freestyle swimming, with the middle 25m being a swimming drill. For this wear fins and do the following drills in order twice through for Options A & B, and thrice through for Option C:
Next up is a set of swimming with a pull buoy for Options B & C only. Complete three (Option B) or four (Option C) reps, of 200m. Take 30-second Rest Interval (RI) between reps.
The next set involves swimming three (Options A & B) or four (Option C) reps of 100m, with a 20-second Rest Interval (RI) between reps.
Swim 100m easy prior to the next set.
A set with Pull Buoy is next. This is made up of three (Options A & B) or four (Option C) reps of 100m with a 20-second Rest Interval (RI).
The final set is a sprint set of two (Options A & B) or four (Option C) reps sprinting 25m with a 20-second Rest Interval (RI).
For the Cool Down (CD) swim 200m. Unlike the previous sets which have to be freestyle, the cooldown (like the warm-up) can be any stroke you wish to swim. You can also stop and rest after any length. I encourage you to stop and stretch during the cool-down.
If you would like further advice feel free to contact me.
I am the Head Coach & Director of Qwik Kiwi Coaching.
I specialise in assisting first-timers and recreational athletes to achieve their sporting goals. I can be contacted at coachray@coachray.nz and 021 348 729.
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If you enjoyed this workout, here is a similar session I published 12 months ago.
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